Commentary and Analysis

The world is facing three global water crises—it's imperative that we respond to them.

Humans all need water for roughly the same things and in roughly the same amounts. And yet, water insecurity has profoundly disproportionate effects on women.

Food, energy, and water form a nexus in which increased access to one resource puts increased pressures on the others.

Michael Tiboris discusses the challenges of feeding and nourishing a rapidly growing global population in the face of water scarcity.

About 70 percent of the water humans use globally is consumed by agriculture, and a full third of the greenhouse gas emissions we produce come from food production. 

Lead doesn’t belong in water but it's showing up in Chicago’s water supply. A recent analysis found that hundreds of Chicagoans have been exposed to lead in their tap water.

Officials in Cape Town, South Africa, say they could soon be the first major city to run out of water. Michael Tiboris cites three reasons for this crisis.

As cities across the nation overhaul their aging water systems, Chicago officials say it is up to homeowners to decide whether it is worth replacing pipes at their own expense.

Is a pernicious form of economic inequality the inevitable consequence of becoming a globally powerful city?

Threats like water scarcity, urbanization, and climate change require governments to be flexible, and to build flexibility into their institutions.